Vehicle seats equipped with airbags are typically configured so that the airbag deploys from beneath a seat cover at a predictable location, such as at a tear seam formed in the seat cover. The airbag may be located near relatively pliable materials, such as a compressible foam cushion material and/or a high-elongation polymer-based seat cover material. These types of materials can absorb some of the airbag inflation energy in the initial stages of airbag deployment and impair the function of the tear seam if the inflation energy is not properly managed. For example, the foam cushion may compress or the seat cover may stretch so that seat cover tearing is delayed or prevented. High tensile strength materials, sometimes referred to as concentrator materials, can be included on or around the airbag to help direct the inflation energy to the desired tearing location.